MATCH STORIES
Follow UsNajmul Hossain Shanto is a quality batter in his own right, but in the lead-up to the Australia clash on June 20 (Thursday), the Bangladesh skipper’s form had gotten so poor that you started to wonder if he even warranted a place in the starting XI.
Bangladesh won three of their four group stage clashes but Shanto had a torrid time, registering scores of 4, 1, 14 & 7.
Even the best of batters have such mid-tournament ruts — case in point, Virat Kohli — but this was no ‘mid-tournament rut’ for Shanto; he entered the Super 8s having struggled for a painfully long period of time.
Between 14 July 2023 and 19 June 2024, Shanto batted 18 times in T20Is, averaging just 16.11, crossing the 25-run mark just twice in 18 attempts. His strike rate in this same period read 97.85, the second-lowest among all full-member batters.
Shanto’s form was overlooked because of Bangladesh’s results in the group stages, but this was an individual who was genuinely struggling to set an example: before the Australia clash, Shanto’s average of 17.06 was the lowest for any Bangladesh captain in T20I history.
In this context, the 41 posted by the left-hander against the Kangaroos on June 20 could prove to be significant for the 25-year-old on a personal level.
At 0/1 after three balls, Bangladesh were under the pump against a blood-thirsty Mitchell Starc. Truth be told, on form, the last batter the Tigers would have wanted going up against a hungry Starc was probably Shanto.
But, against the odds, the Bangladesh skipper walked in and counter-punched a bit to finally get some runs under his belt.
After looking set to post a fifty, Shanto finished with 41 — remarkably, this was only his second 40+ score across his last 23 innings in T20Is, highlighting the struggles he’s had in this format.
In general, when batters are in a poor run of form, they find it hard to be aggressive and assert their authority. They get taken over by the, ‘Listen, I’ll look TERRIBLE if I go for a big hit and then get out’ thought, and so they choose to grit it out, like what Litton Das (16 off 25) tried to do today.
But right from the get-go, it was evident that Shanto walked out to bat tonight with a crystal clear mindset. With nothing but ‘intent’ on his mind.
After defending two outswingers from Starc, the left-hander threw the kitchen sink at the third one, which was the final ball of the over. His bravery got rewarded as he ended up flaying the ball over point to get both himself and Bangladesh off the mark.
What really signalled Shanto’s intent, though, was the six he hit off Hazlewood on the first ball of the fourth over. Bangladesh were 8/1 after three overs, and Hazlewood began his second over having bowled a maiden to Litton in his first. When Hazlewood is in rhythm, it’s usually impossible to take him on, even if the lengths are predictable.
But Shanto danced down the wicket and thumped the right-armer over long-on in Brendon McCullum’esque fashion.
The hit proved to be a turning point for the Tigers in the powerplay. As mentioned earlier, Bangladesh were going nowhere after three overs, reeling at 8/1.
But they collected 31 off the remaining three powerplay overs to move to 39/1 at the end of six. Shanto moved to 18* off 14, thanks to smashing another boundary, this time off Pat Cummins in the final over of the powerplay.
Australia introduced their trump card, Adam Zampa, after the powerplay but that did not stop Shanto. The Bangladesh skipper kept going. The leggie marginally pitched one short on the second ball of his first over, and the left-hander rocked back and hammered the pull to make it clear that he wasn’t going to let Zampa dictate terms.
Shanto then picked up yet another boundary in the next over, this time off Stoinis. This was, in a way, a bit streaky as the ball just about evaded the keeper, but the left-hander once again got his shot selection spot on as he pulled out a fine-ish uppercut to bring up the fifty-run stand between himself and Litton.
The partnership, though, was all about Shanto. At the time of the skipper bringing up the 50-run stand, Litton was struggling at 16* off 23 balls. Shanto (31* off 22) pretty much carried the stand on his shoulders entirely.
Litton soon departed, in the very next over, and the promoted Rishad Hossain followed suit. The twin dismissals sort of seemed to affect Shanto, as after looking well set for a second fifty as captain, he perished attempting a paddle-scoop against Zampa.
Falling short of a well-deserved fifty would have stung for Shanto, but Bangladesh will hope that this little knock helps their skipper rediscover the touch that once made him one of the most exciting and consistent batters in the country.
